


I like my coffee like I like my men

by colazitron



Series: Fic Advent 2012 [7]
Category: Ed Sheeran (Musician), One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-11
Updated: 2012-12-11
Packaged: 2017-11-26 09:33:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/649149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/colazitron/pseuds/colazitron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis's best mate's honeymoon phase is getting to be unbearable in Louis' current single state, but he's not quite desperate enough to take said best friend up on the offer of setting him up on a blind date. Is he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	I like my coffee like I like my men

Louis's glad for Harry. Really. He is. Harry's his best mate. Of course he wants him to be happy. And Harry happens to be especially happy when he's in a relationship, because that's just the kind of person he is. It just so happens that he's also the kind of really, really obnoxiously, in your face kind of couple-y, happy person and there's only so much Louis can take. Is it honestly too much to ask to see Harry without his other half attached every now and then? And anyway, Louis is supposed to be his other half and so, yes, maybe he is a little bitter about being replaced. It's not that he doesn't like Ed. He's a top lad. Sweet and easy-going, doesn't take any of Harry's bullshit and has the most wicked and dirty sense of humour behind his deceptively blue eyes (and doesn't Louis know a bit about those). So, yeah, Louis likes Ed and he's glad for Harry, but if he has to watch them coo and giggle at each other because of some inside joke one more time, he's going to have to take drastic measures.

So of course that's what happens. Ed orders chips 'n cheese with a side of "bass" and Harry dissolves into the most delighted giggles, making Ed's attention shift from the waitress to him in a split second. Louis catches her eye and makes a face that he hopes says "just ignore them" and "I'm sorry" all at the same time. She smiles at him and turns back to the bar. Harry and Ed are busy gazing adoringly at each other and sharing a kiss every few seconds and Louis holds in the heaving sigh that wants to escape him and instead just grabs his jacket and quietly gets up. He weaves his way through the other tables over to the bar where their waitress is pulling their pints and slips into his jacket.

"Anything else?" she asks with a polite smile when she looks up and recognises him.

"No, thanks. Actually, I'd like to pay upfront, if that's alright? And make it two pints, not three."

"Honeymoon phase?" she asks, a kind and knowing expression on her face. Louis laughs a little.

"You have no idea. This is actually them being suitable for the public. They've been going out for months now."

She rings up their order with a smile while he feels a little weight fall off him. Bad as he feels about admitting it, even just to himself, he's too depressingly single to take this particular brand of mushy couple-dom right now, even if it's the only way he'll get to see Harry.

"That'll be 10.75, then," the waitress says and Louis hands her twelve pounds and tells her to keep the change. She bites her lip and gives him a calculating gaze and he knows what's coming before she asks.

"My shift's not up till ten and it's a bit slow until around eight, if you want to stick around?"

"Thanks, but I'm not really..." he's trying to figure out a better way to say "on your team", but she catches on, her eyes widening in realisation.

"Oh. Well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained," she says. He laughs again and gives her a little smile.

"Very true. Have a good night. If they're being impossible just tell them Louis told you to kick them out."

"Thanks," she says through a grin. "I will."

He smiles at her a final time and with one last glance at Harry and Ed, who seem to not have noticed him leaving yet, if their snogging is any indication, he leaves. It's still early and he's not really in a rush to get home, so he decides to vaguely stroll homewards along the tube line and if he does decide to get on it later, he still can. Lost in thought, he doesn't notice that he's walked all the way home until he passes the quaint little coffee shop a few hundred meters from his home tube station that he's walked past countless times but never actually set foot in. Usually he's in a rush when he's trying to get the tube or he's just had a lazy breakfast or he's meeting up for tea somewhere with a friend, so there's never reason or time to go in, but right now it actually sounds lovely. From what he can tell through the large glass windows it's almost empty and a nice cup of Yorkshire tea to tide him over the last few minutes' walk to his apartment would be lovely. His frozen fingers would certainly thank him.

"Hiya!" A girl with lilac hair greets him enthusiastically as he steps inside. There's a huge graffiti on the one far wall that's reflected in the mirrors on the wall opposite it. It's quite a cool idea as far as interior design goes. There are blackboards mounted on the wall behind the counter, but all save for one have the menu painted on. The one with chalk writing advertises a cranberry chocolate mocha as the week's special. There are chalky doodles all around it. One of them Louis identifies as one of those long Chinese dragon things before the girl speaks again.

"What can I get you?"

Louis doesn't know what drives him to say it, but he does it anyway.

"I'll have that... cranberry mocha... thing? To go."

"One cranberry chocolate mocha coming right up," she says, pressing a few buttons on the register.

"Darling?" she says and then turns her head to the side to smile at someone Louis hasn't noticed up until now. To be fair, he was distracted by the interior and the intriguing colour of this girl's hair while whoever 'darling' refers to was hiding behind the coffee machine.

"Already on it," a smooth, male voice answers and Louis automatically lifts his head to spy the boy the voice belongs to. _Oh, fuck_ , he thinks when he sees him. He has tousled, black hair and kind, dark eyes and the most ridiculously long eyelashes Louis's ever seen on anyone, boy or girl. His cheekbones are just the right amount of defined and the bow to his pretty, pink lips almost gives Harry's a run for his money. There are tattoos on the boy's arms, a big comic-style ZAP on one along with a few designs Louis can't make out in the quick movements, but one's on the back of his hand even and Louis would really love to get his mouth on it.

"That'll be 3.20," the girl in front of him says and Louis snaps back into reality. He nods and digs out his wallet from his pocket, pulling a fiver out to hand to the girl and wondering briefly where the tenner he knew he had went before remembering how this evening actually started. Harry had better pay him back for this at some point. He accepts the change the girl hands him with a slightly distracted smile and moves to the other side of the coffee machine to wait for his cranberry whatever mocha. (He's regretting the decision to buy that one already.) The door opens and Louis looks up automatically to see a group of chattering girls walk in. The barista boy squeezes a generous helping of whipped cream on top of Louis' coffee, who is definitely regretting this decision, followed by some bright red syrup Louis supposes is cranberry flavoured while Louis watches him almost creepily transfixed. The barista sets the unholy concoction down in front of Louis and smiles at him a little strained. Louis feels like he wants to say something but he doesn't know what and then the girl is calling him over anyway, so Louis grabs his drink and leaves.

It's terribly sweet but actually kind of nice.

\---

"Honestly though, the waitress actually kicked us out of the pub for being obnoxious," Harry says and Louis can't help himself, he has to laugh down the phone line.

"Obviously you'd think that's funny."

"Well, yeah, I'm the one who told her to do that."

"... Of course you did. That really shouldn't surprise me."

"Oy, you promised me a nice lad's evening and then you were attached at the lips to your boyfriend. I even paid for your chips."

"Sorry about that, by the way. I'll make it up to you. Ed-free night soon, I promise."

"Yes, yes, I'll believe it when I see it."

"No, really. Soon."

\---

Louis goes back to the coffee shop a week later and this time brings a bit of reading he has to do for class. It's afternoon and there's a bit of a line when Louis comes in, as well as a person or two coming in afterwards. When he gets to the front of the line it's the same lilac-haired girl greeting him.

"Hiya!" she says. Louis wonders if she's just naturally cheery or really good at faking it. "What can I get you?"

"I'll have the special," Louis says, looking at the mermaid splashing around underneath the letters announcing the specials.

"To stay or to go?"

"To stay," Louis says, eyes flicking from the mermaid to the girl and then immediately back up. _Huh. They match._

"What's your name?" she asks.

"Louis," Louis says, automatically. "What's yours?"

She laughs.

"Perrie," she says and then he sees her write his name on a cup, along with a few squiggles that are probably his order. Right. He knew that. She passes the cup along to a girl with gorgeous, wavy, brown hair and Louis's almost disappointed until he rounds the coffee machine and sees the boy from last time pouring together some other drink. Apparently he ordered a fruit juice, because that's what he's getting, when the girl calls "special for Louis" and he automatically reaches for the plastic cup. She gives him a hasty grin, but turns away immediately and Louis has no choice but to go find himself a table. He doesn't really get much reading done.

\---

He comes back two days later in the evening and this time, like the first time, it's a bit more quiet.

"Hiya," Perrie says as he walks in. Louis's beginning to like her in that strange way you like people you see some-regularly even when you don't know them.

"Hi, Perrie," he says and grins to himself when she falters. She scrutinises him a bit before her face lights up in recognition.

"Louis!" she says and he nods. "What can I get you?"

"Do you have Yorkshire tea?" he asks, because he's already had the special this week and it's calm enough for him to have his wits about him. Also, Perrie seems to be alone behind the bar, so there's no reason to linger.

"No, sorry. We have Earl Grey, though."

"That won't do," he says and fakes a deep sigh, shaking his head. "I'll have a cappuccino to go then, please."

Perrie smiles at him and rings up his coffee before moving behind the coffee maker and making his coffee herself. He wants to ask where the boy with the tattoos is, but that would probably overstep a few lines, so he simply smiles at her a little awkwardly when she finally hands him his drink and leaves again.

It's only once he's outside that he's realising he's sort of pining for a pretty, tattooed barista boy. How much more of a cliché could he get? He groans to himself and ignores the weird looks he gets from the couple walking past him.

\---

Looking down at his phone after class, Louis sees he's got a new voice mail and a missed call from Harry. He's pretty sure he knows where this is going and smiles at no one in particular while he brings the phone up to his ear to listen to it.

_"Louiiiiiiis! I'm so, so, so sorry! I know I promised soon but then Ed had so many gigs and a few of my classes got cancelled, so we just fucked around all day - not like - well, also, but - ANYWAY. Ed's going out of town for a few days next weekend, so if you're free I can actually guarantee you that I am 100% unattached to anyone but you for that. If you want. Call me back, darling. I miss youuuuu."_

Harry ends the message in kissy sounds and by the giggling in the background Louis can tell that Ed's not gone yet, or at least wasn't at the time this message was recorded. So just to play it safe, he texts Harry instead of calling.

_I see how it is. Loverboy goes out of town and suddenly I'm good enough for you again. x_

_Noooooooooooooooooooooooo!_ he gets back before he's had time to put the phone away and then, immediately afterwards, _YOu know you're my number 1111111111111111111!!!!!! xxxxx_

_I don't think emphasising "1" works like you thnk it does. Friday. bring food. X_

\---

"No, but, like, he has _tattoos_ , Harry."

"So you've said."

"Ugh, he's so pretty."

"You've said that too."

"Shut up! You go on about Ed all the time and he's not even that pretty!"

"Hey!"

"Not as pretty as barista boy!"

"No need to be rude!"

"Just listen to me be a sap and then let me pretend it was all the alcohol talking and I'm not stupidly crushing on a barista I don't even know the name of and who probably has a girlfriend like a complete idiot. Ugh, seriously, Harold, what _are_ you good for."

"Blowjobs," Harry says without missing a beat and then, "Wait. Girlfriend?"

"Yessss. Perrie. The girl with the lilac hair who's a barrista too. She's really cheerful all the time and she looks like the mermaid."

"Okay, you officially lost me."

"There's this girl who works at the coffee shop too. She has lilac hair and she's really cheerful and pretty and one day there was a mermaid drawn on the specials board and she kinda looked like her."

"So?"

"So what if barista boy drew that? Then he drew her. Obviously that means she's his girlfriend."

"Yeah, _if_ he drew that it _could_ mean she's his girlfriend. You don't know that though."

"She calls him darling," Louis says, eyes round and pouting and far too drunk. Harry snorts and then sighs heavily.

"Well, if she calls him 'darling'....," he says.

"Ugh, I know," Louis says and lets himself collapse into Harry's side. Harry curls an arm around him and pets his hair.

"Missed you," Louis says after a while, voice small. He shifts closer to Harry and really settles in against him. He doesn't want to come out from under his arm for a while. It's warm and safe there.

"I missed you too," Harry says. "Sorry about not being around so much."

"No, 's okay. You're in love," Louis says, eyes drooping. "'m lonely."

"I know, darling," Harry says and presses a kiss to Louis' head. "I know you are."

\---

"Hiya, Louis," Perrie greets him when he comes back. "What'll it be today?"

The barista boy's drawing a lovely bird design on the specials board. Ha, he was right. Only that means he was probably right about him and Perrie as well. His smile falters a little as he turns back to the girl.

"The special. To go, please."

"That'll be 3.2o then. Zayn?"

 _Zayn_. God, Louis feels pathetic for the pleased rush he gets at having inadvertently found out barista boy's name, but he tries to catch his eye and smile at him anyway.

\---

"Alright, so," Harry says, spreading his hands out palms down on the pub table between them. It's how he starts talks about serious business, so Louis raises an intrigued eyebrow.

"Ed has this mate who he plays gigs with sometimes, who has a friend, who-"

"No," he interrupts Harry.

"But I haven't even-!"

"No. I am not going on a blind date with one of Ed's musician friends. I'm not."

"Come on, you might like him. Ed says he's nice."

"You haven't even met him? Christ."

"Please?"

"No."

\---

"Your drawings are really cool," Louis says when Zayn hands him his coffee the next time, his heart beating in his throat, like he's 11 again, not 21. Zayn turns to look at the roaring lion behind the cinnamon-caramel-latte and then turns back to smile at Louis.

"Thanks, mate."

If there's a new bounce to Louis' step it's because of all the sugar and definitely not because Zayn is devastatingly pretty when he smiles. Even less because he's smiled at Louis. At something Louis had said.

\---

"Look, I know you mean well and you're trying to help, but don't, Haz."

"But, Louis-"

"No. I am perfectly capable of leading my love life myself."

"You don't _have_ a love life."

"Yes, but it's _my_ lack of love life. Not yours. Go make moony eyes at Ed and leave me be."

Harry sighs down the line, but mumbles his goodbyes. Louis rubs at his temples and tries not to be mad at Harry.

\---

There's a blond streak in Zayn's quiff the next time Louis comes in. He gets his special of the week to stay and sits down at a corner table and tries to get some reading done. It works better this time than the last and he doesn't even notice that Zayn's started wiping tables down until he clears his throat and motions for Louis to lift his book. Louis watches him work and can't avoid staring at his tattoos a little.

"Do you like comics then? Or is it because it looks cool?" he asks. Zayn seems startled to be spoken to.

"No, it's cause I'm pretty into them. Bit geeky, I suppose."

Louis shrugs with a friendly smile.

"I think it's pretty cool."

Zayn smiles back and Louis pretends his insides don't melt.

"Thanks. I kinda got the blond streak for Rogue."

Louis's pretty sure his expression is saying it all, but he asks anyway.

"Who?"

Zayn looks at him like he's an alien.

"X-Men?"

Louis shrugs a little helplessly and then Perries's calling Zayn over, cause a slew of customers just came in and she's a little swamped alone behind the bar. Zayn shoots Louis a last strange look and then walks over to her, passing his hand along her waist as he passes her. Louis deflates and returns to his book, but his motivation's fucked off and he can feel another wave of self-pity come on.

Right. That's it.

He drains his cup of fruit juice and packs his things away decisively. He's indulged himself in over a month of thoughts of the pretty barista boy with the tattoos and the kind eyes and the gorgeous smile even though he knows he has a girlfriend and now it's time to get back to real life. He waves at Perrie as he leaves when she grins at him and pulls out his phone as soon as he's out on the street.

"Haz? That mate of Ed's, is that still-?"

\---

"Okay, so tell me again how you know this guy?" Louis asks, sitting in a booth close to the stage in another pub that Ed's performing at. Harry's sat next to him, a plate of chips between them.

"Ed has this mate, Conor, who he sometimes performs with, like tonight. Conor has another mate, whose name I forgot and then there's a group of friends of that mate's of his, one of which Ed thinks you'd be interested in."

"Whose name is?"

"Forgot that too," Harry says, shooting him an apologetic smile and reaching for a chip. Louis grins and shakes his head.

"Course you did. Have you ever met the bloke at least?"

"Yeah, he seemed cool. Dark hair, dark eyes. Bit broody. Your type."

"I don't have a type."

"Yeah, you do."

They're saved from further discussion/banter on this by the spotlights on the stage coming on and Harry's attention shifting from Louis to Ed, who's perched on a chair with his guitar in his lap, as always looking endearingly small and slightly out of place. It's funny, since Louis's never met anyone who belongs on stage as much and as easily as Ed does. The boy next to him is more of a pretty boy, groomed hair and carefully put together outfit in contrast to Ed's birds nest and complete lack of interest in clothes. Louis's not sure how Harry does it, with how particular he is about clothes. He seizes the other boy, Conor, up and thinks that if things with his mate's mate, or whatever, don't go well, he'd be alright test-driving this one. Ed's brilliant as always and Conor's not half bad either and by the end of their set Louis's actually forgotten why he's here. That is until Harry grabs him by the wrist and pulls him through the crowd to meet Ed by the side of the stage.

"You were amazing," Harry says and leans down to press a sweet kiss to Ed's mouth before anyone else gets the chance to do or say anything.

"Excuse Harry," Louis says and offers Conor his hand. "He has no manners. I'm Louis."

"That's alright. I'm Conor."

"You both really were very good."

"Thanks," Conor says with a smile, before seemingly remembering something. "Oh! You're Harry's Louis! Anth, where's-?"

Apparently everyone knows why Louis' here, then. Conor turns to a boy in a snapback behind him and Louis really, really hopes that this isn't the kind of boy Harry's thought to set him up with. Not to be superficial, but generally Louis really doesn't go for the rap hip/hop kind of boys.

"At the bar, getting pints."

"Oh, well, he'll probably need help," Conor says.

"We have a booth," Louis offers. Conor smiles at him and then motions for Louis to follow him. Louis punches Harry on the arm as a way of letting him know that he's going with Conor and Harry actually unwinds the arm from around Ed and pats along Louis' arm to squeeze his hand for a moment. Louis laughs and squeezes back and then follows Conor, weaving their way through the crowd towards the bar. Conor's leading him up to a boy with jet black hair who's leaning on the bar, dressed in dark skinny jeans and a denim jacket. Louis does approve of this view.

"Hey, mate," Conor says and pats him on the shoulder. When he turns around, Louis almost laughs hysterically.

"Hey, Zayn," he says before he can help himself. Zayn smiles at him in recognition. Conor looks surprised.

"You know each other?"

"A bit," Zayn says. "Louis comes in the coffee shop sometimes. Perrie's very fond of him."

 _He knows my name_ , is all Louis can think, pushing the weirdness of the statement to the back of his mind. There’s time for that later. He smiles a bit giddily at the thought of _later_.

"Oh. Well, I'll leave you to it, then," Conor says and grabs a few of the pints the barmaid has put down beside Zayn.

"So," Zayn says, awkwardly. Louis laughs nervously, trying to reconcile the fact that he was so sure Zayn was with Perrie with the fact that he's standing here in front of him, being set up with Louis which would mean that he's not only single but also not (exclusively) into girls. Well. There's probably not many chances like this.

"So," he says and leans onto the bar next to Zayn, pulling out his best smile. "Tell me about Rogue."

**The End**


End file.
